Chapter 29 #2
“No, it’s anonymous.” Tom, of course. “About Mrs. Gray’s servants. Our informant met the gardener who used to work for the Grays, in a pub. In Seer Green?”
“Next stop up the line. Just a couple of miles.”
“The pub is the Jolly Cricketers, according to Mr. Anon, our informant. The gardener’s name’s White.
Half the patrons were talking about the murder, of course, so White spoke up.
He said he wasn’t surprised someone did for Mrs. Gray.
She was quick to complain when something wasn’t to her liking, but never gave a word of praise or thanks.
Anon asked whether all the servants disliked her.
It seems the housekeeper, Mrs. Clark, had already registered with a London agency before she was given notice. ”
“Mrs. Clark, eh? Doesn’t sound too easy to trace.”
“No, a lamentably common name. We might have to try, though. According to Anon, she told White there were ‘goings-on’ in the house she disapproved of, but she wouldn’t name names.”
“Does Anon mention the lady’s maid?”
Alec consulted Tom’s note. “There was a high turnover of lady’s maids.
The last was a Miss Lewis. High and mighty, didn’t consort with gardeners.
According to Mrs. Clark, though, she was furious when told she was to be turned off because Mrs. Gray wanted a French maid.
She departed the next day without serving out her notice. ”
“Lewis,” Underwood said gloomily. “Be a job tracing her, too, and nothing to be done till the servants’ agencies open tomorrow. It’s all very second and third hand,” he added with dissatisfaction.
“Anonymous letters commonly are. This last bit is equally unverified. All the same, it could be more immediately useful. Anon says—”
A knock on the door. Not waiting for a response, Isabel Sutcliffe opened it, stopping on the threshold. “The officer at the desk said to go straight in. I hope I’m not interrupting.”
The inspector smiled at her as he rose. “Not at all. You’re very welcome.” He hurried round the desk to hold a chair for her. Catching Alec’s amused eye, he quickly added, “I expect you have information for us?”
“Daisy explained about the significance of the date Mrs. Hedger was last paid?”
“Yes,” said Alec. “We ought to have thought of it ourselves.”
Isabel absolved them. “It’s only natural. It’s usually women who pay the cleaner.”
“I have no excuse,” Underwood admitted. “As a widower, I’m the one who pays the charwoman.”
Eyes brightening, she consoled him, “You’ve been busy. Well, Willie came home soon after Daisy left. She remembered right away. Mrs. Hedger claimed the last day’s work she was paid for was the seventeenth of September.”
“Thank you, Miss Sutcliffe. That may prove extremely useful. And thank you for coming out so late to tell us.”
“Does Miss Chandler usually work so late?” Alec asked.
“She’s usually home by half past six. She finished the job she’s been working on today and Mr. Davis asked her to stay on and go over the figures with him.”
“What figures were those?”
“She was auditing some company’s accounts, she wouldn’t say whose. Frankly, neither Vera nor I was particularly interested.”
Alec laughed. “And who can blame you. Would you like me to run you back to Cherry Trees in the car? If the inspector can spare me for ten minutes…”
“Of course.” Underwood looked a bit wistful, as if he’d prefer to escort Isabel himself.
Knowing nothing of his driving skills, Alec didn’t offer to let him.
“Good idea. Take fifteen and see if Miss Chandler will open up to you about the audit. Sergeant Piper isn’t likely to ring for at least a couple of hours. ”
“Will do. You can send off this cable right away. And I suggest another to the Yard to get them moving on querying the domestic service agencies first thing in the morning. Put my name to it.”
In the car, Isabel asked, “We’re still suspects, aren’t we?”
“Strictly speaking, yes. Don’t let it worry you. None of you is under serious consideration.”
“Because of Daisy?”
“Good heavens no! We’re not allowed to take that sort of thing into account.
” A certain amount of bias was inevitable, however.
Perhaps they ought to have subjected the three women to closer scrutiny?
Perhaps they would have to, if they eliminated both Cartwright and Vaughn.
Alec changed the subject. “Were the cleaners you found for the cellar satisfactory?”
“Excellent. It looks clean as a whistle and the smell is barely perceptible. I’m so sorry for them.
They both fought in the war and haven’t been able to find steady employment since.
Their wives both work to make ends meet.
The men feel inadequate, not being able to provide for their families.
I’m going to have them back to build shelves in the cellar for storing apples, as soon as I’ve worked out just what I want. ”
“It sounds as if you’re quite comfortable moving back in.”
Isabel grinned. “None of us believes in ghosts! Vera isn’t altogether happy about being in a house where someone was murdered, but I pointed out that we lived for a fortnight with the body actually present.
Anyway, she has plenty to occupy her thoughts.
I can’t tell you how grateful we are for what Daisy’s done for her. ”
“She has a penchant for combining helping people with interfering in police investigations,” Alec said dryly, drawing up in front of Cherry Trees. “You don’t mind if I come in for a minute?”
“Not at all.”
Willie and Vera were drinking coffee in the sitting room. Despite Alec’s refusal, Isabel bustled off to fetch cups for him and herself.
“Miss Chandler—Willie—” It was difficult to decide how he ought to address the ladies. “I’d like you to confirm the date Miss Sutcliffe passed on to us, the last day’s work Mrs. Hedger was paid for.”
“Or so she claimed. It was the seventeenth. Of last month, of course.”
“You’re certain?”
“Absolutely. I never forget a number.”
“And will you confirm that today you completed an audit of the accounts of Langridge’s, the estate agent?”
“Who told you? Neither I nor Isabel!”
“Just putting together hints from your boss—”
“Mr. Davis talked about it?”
“Indirectly. Isabel said you’d finished a big job today, so I assumed … What I really need to know is when you or Mr. Davis intend to give Langridge the results of the audit.”
Willie considered, her blond head tilted, eyes narrowed.
“I suppose there’s no harm, since you already know so much.
Mr. Davis is going to ask Mr. Langridge to call at our offices tomorrow morning, whenever convenient to him.
” Unexpectedly, she giggled. “If you ask me, it would be much easier for him to go to Langridge’s.
When Mr. Langridge came in to request the audit, it was touch and go whether he’d make it up the stairs to Mr. Davis’s room. ”
“I take it Mr. Langridge had his suspicions that something was amiss?”
“Sole proprietorships—one owner and one or more employees—rarely call for an audit until they’re fairly sure something’s wrong. They’d do better to get an outside audit regularly, like big companies.”
“Did you know what or whom Langridge suspected?”
“No. Mr. Langridge has four employees. He probably didn’t tell Mr. Davis if he suspected one person in particular. It could bias the audit. I discovered pretty quickly whom he ought to have suspected. I won’t confirm your guess, though.”
“Very proper,” said Alec, grinning.
Isabel came in with the coffee. As they were drinking from demitasses, Alec relented and accepted.
He emptied the tiny cup rather quicker than was strictly polite, made his adieux, and went out to the car.
On the way back to the police station, he reflected that he was indubitably biased in their favour.
He could only hope it wouldn’t come to arresting one or more of them.
Given his ambiguous position in the case, though, he’d be able to leave that dismaying task to DI Underwood.
Who wouldn’t be any happier about it than Alec.
Happily, another suspect had moved up the list. Alec had been interrupted before telling Underwood about the interesting second item in Tom Tring’s note.